Payday Loan Induced Insolvencies On the Rise

Hoyes Michalos has pre-released our 2017 Joe Debtor study results as they relate to payday loan usage by insolvent debtors in time for the Standing Committee on Social Policy to conduct a review of Bill 59: Putting Consumers First Act. We have also submitted our concerns about the prevalent use of payday loans by heavily indebted Ontarians to the Committee, which you can read here.

Hoyes, Michalos & Associates Inc., a leading Ontario insolvency firm focused on helping individuals resolve personal debt problems, has issued a pre-release of their bi-annual Joe Debtor study focusing on trends in consumer insolvencies. The study results reveal that a record one in four people who file for debt relief in Ontario use payday loans, a 38% increase in the last two years.

Despite warnings about the high cost of payday loans, heavily indebted consumers are using multiple payday loans from more than one payday loan lender. This is contributing to a record number of insolvent debtors with payday loans. Ontarians who are already severely in debt are turning to payday loans not to pay for an occasional emergency expense, but to keep up with their other debt repayments.

“The increased use of payday loans among already heavily indebted Ontarians is frightening” says Ted Michalos. “Payday loans have become the straw that breaks the camel’s back for many people, leading to an alarming increase in the percentage of payday loan induced insolvencies.”

“Contrary to popular opinion, using payday loans is not limited to low income households without access to other forms of credit,” adds Doug Hoyes. “In fact, middle and high income earners are much more likely to use multiple payday loans if they have pre-existing debt, creating an even worse debt burden that they cannot hope to repay.”

High income earners are much more likely to take out multiple payday loans. Insolvent payday loan borrowers with take-home pay over $4,000 a month had an average of 3.8 payday loans outstanding.

Young millennials are most likely to use payday loans with 38% of insolvent debtors between the ages of 18 and 29 having at least one payday loan.

Seniors carry the highest payday loan debt with the average insolvent payday loan borrower aged 60 and over owing a total of $3,593 in payday loan debt.

“As Licensed Insolvency Trustees, we meet with people every day who are struggling to repay high interest loans. We are issuing a pre-release of our Joe Debtor study in regards to this payday loan data in advance of public hearings to be held by the Standing Committee on Social Policy on Bill 59 and the Putting Consumers First Act. In doing so, we hope to ensure that legislators have the information they need to ensure changes to Ontario regulations surrounding payday loans really do put consumers first and reduce the likelihood that already debt burdened Canadians will be caught in a never-ending cycle of payday loan borrowing,” said Mr. Hoyes.